The Prince's Doe
by moonagedaydreams
Summary: A year before the Potter's untimely death, Severus Snape wishes desperately to rekindle his friendship with Lily Potter.
1. Chapter 1

_**The following story takes place in 1980, a year before the Potters were murdered. Severus Snape is still a death eater, and here's what would happen if things had happened differently. Please feel free to leave me a review on your thoughts, as I was hoping to continue this with (hopefully) more happening in future chapters. Now off we go!**_

A dimly lit fire crackled, poorly illuminating the tattered wallpaper that clung loosely to the walls. The streets were nearly empty, with the rare muggle passing by the run-down home; the last one on Spinner's End.

A man shifted, flipping the page of the newest edition of The Daily Prophet, the front cover's black and white image moving beneath pale fingertips.

He had greasy, shoulder length, black hair, which stood out against his pale, sullen face, and protruding nose.

Black eyes skimmed the article, which was more of an alert to the families who were potential targets of the Dark Lord's followers. Muggle-borns were advised to stay inside, to never travel alone, and to avoid alleyways at all costs.

Closing the paper, Severus tossed it atop the starving fire, which roared hungrily as the pages were consumed. It was all rubbish, really.

Muggle-borns were being attacked in their own houses now; being abducted in an alleyway was particularly uncommon anyhow.

He sat there momentarily, before putting his head in his hands. He'd been out nearly all week, complying to his duties as Death Eater, under none other than Lord Voldemort himself; who had begun to grow quite a liking to the dark-haired wizard.

Standing, he passed a dusty, worn shelf of books before reaching a cracked mirror, which hung on a rusty metal wire on the wall. Severus's eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and his appearance indicated that his caring in how exactly he looked was sorely lacking.

Exhaling softly, Snape traced a finger over a long, uneven crack in the glass. By now he was used to the silence, having nothing but himself. No one but himself.

Pulling away from the glass, he turned and left the room, opening the front door before disappearing down the alleyway. Midway, there was a 'crack,' and he was no longer home.

Severus reappeared in a lightly snowed on town, which radiated with a strange warmth, despite the cold breeze that tugged at his hair. Quietly, he walked along the sidewalk, blending in to the dark shadows and occasionally pressing his back against the wall of a building when merry people passed, laughing and chatting amongst themselves.

He stopped when he saw the side of the quaint cottage, his eyes scanning along the fence until he saw the back gate was open.

Hesitating, dark eyes darted from the gate, back to the quiet home, the windows lit to indicate that the residents inside were still awake.

Slowly, he crept through the opening of the fence, cautiously making his way across the backyard before resting his back against the side of the house, right beside a fairly large hedge.

It took him a few minutes of standing there and breathing unevenly before he finally worked up the courage to peek into the window. And what he saw made his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

A red hair woman sat on the rug, just beneath the Christmas tree, beaming at the little infant in her arms that couldn't have been more than just a few months old. Beside her was a man with jet black, messy hair with rounded glasses, looking onto the pair with a swelling pride.

Shifting away from the window, he pressed the back of his head to the side of the house, his eyes shut tightly, and lips curled into a pained frown.

It must have been Christmas Eve. And there was James and Lily Potter, happily enjoying the holiday as a family.

Jealousy coursed through his veins in an overpowering way at the touching sight; one that he desperately had wanted for himself.

It had been years since he had spoken to Lily, obeying her wishes that he stay away from her. She hated what he was...more so, what he'd become.

She'd defended him so often in school from her now husband, James, and his friends, as they took great joy in making Severus miserable.

However, after a few unforgiveable events, they were no longer on speaking terms, and much less friends like they had been. He could no longer seek refuge with the flaming haired witch.

Turning his head, his eyes scanned for any signs of other people before he moved from his place against the wall, and making his way out of their home.

He should have been happy for her, that she had someone to love and protect her; that she had a child, and the perfect Christmas as just the three of them.

But he wasn't a part of her life. He didn't fit into the portrait she'd painted, due to his dedication to the Dark Arts. Perhaps if they'd been on friendly terms, the ache wouldn't be so overwhelming.

Severus didn't look over his shoulder as he continued down the street, leaving the beaming further and further behind as his long legs covered more ground as they went.

He was doing what he did best; what others had called him cowardly for. He was running away from his problems once more, wishing nothing more than to dessert them for good.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks to everyone who left a review on my previous chapter! I'm glad the overall reception was good, considering how short it was. I did have an anonymous reviewer make a comment about the title; please note that it's referencing Snape's Patronus, which is a doe. Not that he "owns" Lily. Just to clear up any confusion. ;) Also, I plan to have a slow burn for this story, so not all problems are going to find an immediate resolution. But please do leave your thoughts, as I do read everything you guys leave me, and I appreciate it!**_

The Potter's Christmas Eve couldn't have been happier. James had gifted Lily a grey and white kitten with green eyes. "I thought of you when I saw her," he insisted with a soft smile, embracing his wife in a tight hug, mindful not to smother baby Harry, who still laid in his mother's arms. 

"I got you something too," Lily insisted, eyes beaming as she pulled a small, neatly wrapped box from beneath the tree. James took it gratefully before opening it. 

Inside, was a black hair comb; Lily immediately erupted in a fit of laughter. "What, you don't like it?" She questioned, feigning innocence. 

"Very funny," he mumbled with a fake annoyance, self consciously smoothing down his wild black hair. 

The red-haired witch continued grinning as she pulled out a separate gift for him. "You're no fun, James," she insisted with a shake of her head. 

Giving her a wary look, he pulled the rather large, broom-shaped present toward himself, already smiling madly. "I wonder what it could be," he asked in an unusually high tone, pulling the festive ribbon off the wrapping. 

Sure enough, it was a new broom, one he'd been eyeing in the shop windows for months now. Although he no longer played Quidditch as he had in his Hogwarts days, he still loved to fly when he could. 

He hugged her again before glancing down at baby Harry, who gave a feeble whimper for attention. "Can you imagine when I can teach him to fly one?" He questioned, an obvious eagerness in his tone at the thought. 

"Oh James...I don't want to think about what you and Sirius plan on teaching him." Lily gave him a pointed look, though the smile curling her lips wasn't helping her accomplish a serious look at all. 

Standing, she softly hushed Harry, who had begun to whimper a bit more loudly now, meaning he'd like to be put back in his crib. "I'll be back," she promised, ruffling James's dark hair before heading up the staircase. 

Snape's Christmas Eve couldn't have been more different from the Potter's. He was back in Spinner's End, sitting on his bed, and blankly staring out a sliver of the street below from behind a tattered curtain. 

The room was freezing; given how decrepit his home was, the drafts that were let in would have been a nightmare to anyone else. Someone who wasn't so numb to everything. 

Breathing a shaky breath that resonated in the air, he stood, wrapping his black cloak against himself, and trying to ignore the fact that he'd spent yet another Christmas by himself. 

He was quite used to being alone, by now. However, the holidays always emphasized how painfully isolated he was from everyone else. 

Hearing a knock from downstairs nearly made him flinch. Who could it possibly be? No muggles were friendly with him. 

And if it had been a group of Death Eaters, they would have flown through his window like they had the previous time, shattering the glass in his living room. 

Wand in hand, he quietly crept down the staircase, his eye cautiously glancing through the peep hole; who was outside made him breathe a sigh of relief. 

Opening the door, he was greeted by an old man wearing red robes, half-moon shaped glasses, and a long white beard. It was none other than Albus Dumbledore. 

"Happy Christmas, Severus." Dumbledore greeted with a warm smile. "Might I come in?" 

Snape nodded meekly, stepping aside and allowing the ancient wizard to step inside, seeming unphased by the ratty looking home as the door closed behind him. 

"I'm surprised you haven't taken it upon yourself to make the place more charming, with your parents gone," Albus insisted, attempting to lighten the mood. 

Severus grimaced, gesturing for Dumbledore to take a seat before taking the one across. "Haven't had the time, I suppose..." He offered lamely, watching Dumbledore as he made the flames of the fireplace rise with his wand. 

"Care for a brandy?" He offered the dark-haired wizard, who dipped his head as the glasses poured themselves, taking one gratefully. 

Dumbledore then sat, his old eyes briefly studying Severus, the boy who'd had so much potential during his Hogwarts days; and now...he had thrown it all away. He didn't have the heart to report him to the Ministry. 

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Severus, however I won't beat around the bush any further. I know what you've been up to...and I think you're aware what I'm here for, because of it." 

Severus's eyes widened only briefly before he pressed his lips together in a fine line. "Yes...Headmaster?" He questioned, wanting to know where he'd been going with this anyhow. 

Albus was most certainly not a fool; Severus was highly capable of killing, however given the fact alone that he hadn't made a move on him already, proved that he wasn't as dedicated to his cause as some would believe. 

"You don't want this." Dumbledore stated, rather than asking, his eyes fixated on Snape's, which briefly flickered at the comment. He said nothing. 

"I'm only wanting to help, Severus. Nothing more. You're still young, it isn't too late—" He was cut off when Severus intervened. 

"No." Snape snapped defensively, standing and whirling around, not facing the Headmaster any longer, feeling like he was slowly being backed into a corner. 

Dumbledore gave him a long, almost sad look. It killed him, to think of what such a bright boy was becoming. Or more so, _had_ become. 

"Severus...please, listen." Dumbledore attempted to reason with him, his eyes briefly dropping down to the glass of brandy in his hand. 

"You're valuable. Very, very valuable. The Dark Lord knows this as much as I," Albus continued, grey eyes flickering back up the Snape's silhouette, which looked nothing more than a shadow in front of the bookcase. 

"Those you care for can, and undoubtedly will be, harmed if you don't change." Albus hesitated before standing, but he did not move closer to Severus. 

He continued to watch the young wizard, knowing he was listening. That his mind must have wreaked of havoc, being pent up in this house, to only come out when he had to do the Dark Lord's bidding. 

"I can help you. But only if you allow me to do so." Dumbledore then went quiet, wanting a reply this time. 

Severus stood, his gaunty visage showing no emotion. "You want me to join you, only to be used," he answered easily, for it was the truth. 

"You're a clever and powerful man, Severus. I think you know that I do not wish to have you for personal gain," Dumbledore attempted to reason, his voice clipped with a firmness. "Muggle Borns are in grave danger, you know that more so than myself. Need I remind you, of who was particularly close to you, and Muggle Born." 

Snape then whipped around, his eyes shining with something that not even Dumbledore could fully detect. But it was for the most part, a look of sharp pain. "Don't do this to me," his voice was low and cold. 

"My intention was not to guilt-trip you. I was informing. The fact of the matter is, that this can very well be a reality, and a rather soon one at that." Dumbledore gave him a long look, before finishing off his brandy, placing the glass down on a scratched table that wobbled beneath his touch. 

Dumbledore once again returned his attention to Severus, who had been staring at him hard enough that he was surprised that he hadn't burnt a hole through him. "I'll give you time to sleep on it, then," he replied, stroking his long, white beard with one hand thoughtfully. 

"Meet me at the cliff at the stroke of midnight, two days from now; and don't bring company." Albus gave him a long look before there was a 'crack,' where he'd apparated from the home. 

Severus stared at the place Dumbledore had been, his insides churning as he slowly sat, drink still in hand. Dumbledore really did have him under his thumb, now. 

He'd brought up Lily, the last person who he wished to see as one of Voldemort's victims. Not to mention that he could very easily tip off the Ministry of Magic about where he stayed, and what his alliances were. 

Breathing a shaky sigh, he tipped his head back, gulping the rest of his brandy before pushing it aside, raking a hand through his long hair. Oddly enough, he thought back to Lily again, and the scene that he'd stumbled upon earlier that evening. 

When he'd looked through the window, to find her sitting so happily with her husband, James, and their newborn. Opening their presents, and looking as warm and content as one could be. 

He turned his head painfully, his eyes closed tightly, only hating the situation more and more, as it had only grown deeper by the day. He already had his answer for Dumbledore. 

Now he only had to sit and wait, for what he hoped for once in his life...was the right decision.


	3. Chapter 3

_**I've come out of my mini hiatus to add onto this little story, due to a friend of mine convincing me that it needs updating. In the previous chapter, Dumbledore gave Severus a little something to chew on, and now things need fixing. Off we go!**_

It was a minute past midnight, a soft blue glow melding over the landscape as an old wizard stood, his hands crossed behind his back as he gazed out across the starlit sky. He was waiting for someone; and they were already late.

His eyes swept from the sky above, to the grounds below, a quiet sigh escaping his lips as he did so. Was Severus not going to show up at all? Surely, after his slight hint of a threat, he wouldn't be foolish enough to pass up the opportunity.

Suddenly, there was a 'crack,' and the old wizard was no longer alone. "I knew you'd come, Severus," Dumbledore mused, not turning to face him yet.

Severus shifted uncomfortably, his black eyes lowering. His hair had a touch of wildness to it, as if he'd been raking his fingers through it only moments before. "I came for your help, not your judgement," the young wizard reminded rather grumpily.

Dumbledore smiled, clearly amused by how easily annoyed Severus was. "Yes, yes...I suppose I cannot delay our chat much further, now can I?" He finally turned to face Snape, his blue eyes gazing at him through half-moon spectacles.

"I've brought you here, because it has of course come to my attention where you'd sunk, in society." As Dumbledore spoke, his face sobered, now becoming serious. "You were an exemplary student, Severus. I do not wish to see your talents wasted on magic such as this. A favorite of Horace Slughorn, such a gifted boy...and now, a rather reckless one."

Severus remained quiet, his expression unchanging as he met Dumbledore's eyes. If anything, he had paled, ever so slightly at Dumbledore telling him that he had become a waste of talent.

"I'm offering you a job, at Hogwarts." Dumbledore stated rather simply, and in a way that implied that he best accept the invitation. "And a place in a little organization of mine, which I will give details of later. When I'm sure I can trust you."

The black haired wizard looked a bit taken aback at this, his eyes narrowing slightly. A job at Hogwarts? Why would he ever take this? And why was Dumbledore just offering it to him like this?

Not to mention he wasn't entirely positive what exactly this 'organization,' of Dumbledore's had in store for him. "Headmaster, I'm pleased you would consider me for a position, however I must ask why you're offering it. I never applied."

Dumbledore nodded with understanding, that it must have seemed out of the blue to young Severus, despite being such a clear picture in his own head. As usual, he had decided a more elaborate answer to a simple question would be the best route to go.

"I once knew a boy, very similar to yourself. Wise beyond his years, with some of the highest marks the school has ever seen. He came from a broken home, yet like you, found solace at none other than Hogwarts itself." Dumbledore paused, his eyes briefly closing, before he turned, taking a step further along the edge of the overhanging cliff.

"He tampered with dark magic. The ugliest magic one could imagine; ones I'm sure you've grown familiar with, by now." Dumbledore's eyes began searching the grounds, attempting to find the words. "You can redeem yourself, Severus. I know how cunning you can be. You'd be saving lives, including that of your friends."

Severus clenched his jaw a little at Dumbledore's last remark. "I have no friends," He replied rather bitterly, hopelessly shaking his head, his black curtains of hair softly falling further over his face.

"I remember you spending a great deal of time with Lily Evans-now Lily Potter, I suppose." Dumbledore reminded gently, briefly turning his head to look at Severus over his shoulder. The mentioning of Lily seemed to have affected him, for his eyes glinted with something so strong that he could not fully detect. Was it loathing?

"Don't." Severus snapped, the memory of the Potter's first Christmas flashing before his eyes. So content, so forgetful of the man who had spent it all alone. He hated it, how selfish he'd become without her attention. But he refused to intervene. If she wanted to speak to him again, she was making the first move.

Dumbledore gave a half hearted smile at this. "Severus, I had not known how touching you could be." Snape remained quiet, half ready to just disapparate back home, no longer wanting to have this discussion.

"She's a part of it." Dumbledore explained softly. "She's in my little group of friends, shall we say." He offered gently, desperately wishing to convince him that they were in need of his help.

"We need an inside person. Someone to feed the Dark Lord lies. Someone to feed us the truth." Dumbledore completely turned to Severus once more, now stepping closer. "I do not know what happened between you all as children, and I do not wish to force it out of you."

Dumbledore was now very solemn faced again, once more meeting Snape's black eyes. "But I can't stress how vital this is. I have the pieces, Severus, yet we cannot go much further without you. Someone, as I understand from Horace, who is particularly gifted in legillmacy. To lie in the presence of the Dark Lord without him offering a second thought is beyond uncommon. To my understanding, you are one of the few who could survive doing so."

Snape's eyes flickered before taking a step back. The breeze caused his cloak to wrap around his legs, strands of black hair whipping against his unreadable face. Dumbledore tilted his head.

"No." Severus stated blatantly, shaking his head and cautiously making a step back again. "I will not let you use something private against me." He stated firmly, his eyes shining. "I'm not teaching at that school, and I'm not joining your club."

Dumbledore now watched Severus with an almost sad expression, the wind tugging at his long white hair, and his beard. "I cannot make you do anything," he agreed quietly.

Severus glared at Dumbledore only a few moments longer before turning away, and stalking back in the direction of the forest. With a second 'crack,' Snape disapparated, and Dumbledore once again stood alone.

Two weeks had passed since Dumbledore and Snape had their meeting. In that time, Dumbledore had worked day and night on his little organization, which had undoubtedly been a cause in the fight against the quickly rising Lord Voldemort.

Snape, on the other hand, had been doing the opposite. He was aiding the Dark Lord's cause, rather than attempting to overthrow it. Though, he found that he had more consistently reflected on what he was doing.

Was remaining on his own really the right thing to do? What would happen if Voldemort really fell out of power? It would surely be a one-way ticket to Azkaban.

Dumbledore had been foolish, offering him a job, and tipping Snape off about his group. However, for some odd reason, Severus had not mentioned a word of it to anyone. Not even his master as he very well should have.

He had so quickly risen in his ranks, easily becoming a favorite of the Dark Lord's for his abilities and strong mind. Voldemort had often consulted Snape during the meeting of Death Eaters to confirm or deny information, as well as seeking advice.

Yet as Severus continued to become more and more popular by the day, he found his lack of interest in Voldemort's cause to be disturbing. Had Dumbledore really so easily persuaded him? Or was he merely curious about what could have come out of it?

One evening, when he found himself incapable of denying his overcrowded mind any further, Severus hastily grabbed a bit of parchment and a quill. Scribbling down a rather short message, he pushed the letter into the beak of his dark grey owl, watching as the bird soared far away from the decripit street that was Spinner's End.

That very night, Dumbledore was greeted by an owl, who dropped a letter on his desk before fluttering off. It was from someone who he had been hoping to hear a response from.

Opening the envelope, he pulled out the parchment that simply read, "I wish to join," signed Severus Snape. Dumbledore slowly placed the letter down, his light blue eyes briefly flickering to Fawkes, the beautiful Phoenix that sat on his perch.

This was going to be the beginning of an end.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Ahh, thanks for all the reviews so far! I know my chapters are awfully short, but I somewhat do that on purpose to not have things get drawn out to the point where they're dull. And yeah, to answer a reviewer, Dumbledore doesn't really seem to have Snape's best interests at heart. He's one of those grey characters, so I'm trying to convey that the best I can over to here, which would include him using Snape. Though, when Severus was in school, not much could be done either, sadly. Thank you all so much for the reviews, I appreciate all of them, as constructive criticism helps me learn for future chapters. And we're off!**_

Voices were kept low, as more wizards continued to file into the cramped, unkempt space. Floorboards were missing, dust covered the broken furniture, and long, elaborate spidewebs coated the interior from head to toe.

"Charming place." Moody grumbled to himself, gazing around the cramped room, attempting to spot Dumbledore to no avail. He had yet to turn up for the meeting. "I suppose he's running low on places for us to stay?"

A man with long, curly hair merely rolled his eyes. "Oh shut it, I'm quite fond of this place. Lots of fun back in the day, right Remus?" He jabbed watching Moody stalk off, a soft grin splaying across his mouth as he waited for a reaction.

"Hilarious as always, Sirius." Lupin replied in a dry tone, shaking his head at how his friends still managed to poke fun with him for all these years. "I'm sure the three of you just had the times of your life, sneaking out under that cloak every month..."

He smiled nonetheless, raking a hand through his hair, which was softly flaked with grey. His appearance was as shabby as ever, his skin paled and sickly looking. Dark circles lay beneath his eyes, which indicated that a full moon was surely near by now. His eyes darted to an all too familiar face that made his way through the crowd, his black hair as wild, glasses slightly askew.

"Lily isn't coming?" Remus questioned, watching as James corrected his crooked specs, then shaking his head. "She wanted to come, believe me. Put up a fuss, actually...but I promised we could take turns staying home with the baby." A warm smile tugged at his mouth at the mentioning of baby Harry.

"She'll manage." Sirius insisted, brushing the matter off. "Perhaps I'll come pay you two a visit this week; that broom she bought you for Christmas is quite nice." He raised an eyebrow, his smile broadening, before everyone had quiet.

The chatter had stopped, and everything had gone still, the only sound was a pair of footsteps from none other than Dumbledore himself. His eyes briefly scanned the crowd, which had seemed so much larger in such a small space. "I apologize for the lack of room," he began, his hand brushing against the wall, his fingers lightly sifting over the accumulation of dust.

He still stood in the doorway, looking casual as ever as he smiled amongst the crowd. "However, we have matters to discuss. I trust those who I spoke with last time have reports for me?" He finally filed into the room, finding the little group of aurors who spoke lowly, their faces serious.

However, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who had been quiet as usual, were not paying attention to Dumbledore and the aurors. Their eyes were fixated on the figure that lingered in the shadows of the doorway.

"What's _that_ git here for?" Sirius whispered loudly, his eyes flickering to the other three, Peter looking confused as ever, Remus merely shrugging, and James was still harshly staring at the figure. "Surely, he wouldn't trust Snivelly. We all know he's a Death Eater." James had added in a low voice.

Remus attempted to be the word of reason. "Dumbledore clearly had a purpose in bringing him here. And he _did_ mention that he was going to be attempting to recruit one of You-Know-Who's followers a few weeks ago. You'd know that if you three...oh...I don't know...paid attention?"

James shot Remus a nasty sort of look, no longer wanting to joke around. Was Dumbledore mad? Did he actually trust Severus to bring him here to The Order? "He's out of his mind."

Dumbledore quickly wrapped up his chat with the aurors, once again stepping in the front of the room. "As some of you may have noticed, I brought company along. Our newest member, actually. Severus Snape."

There was a very awkward silence, a few hands unenthusiastically giving a light clap. "No way." Sirius and James remarked in unison, briefly glancing at one another with a mixture of horror and disgust. He was really bringing him in as a member? They weren't going to knock some answers out of the slimeball?

"This may come as a shock, to some. However, I expect you all to give our new member the same amount of respect as you do to each other." Dumbledore's gaze swept over the crowd once more, but for some reason, seemed to linger over James and his friends a bit longer than everyone else. "That's likely." Peter finally mumbled, following James and Sirius's example.

Dumbledore outstretched a hand, briefly gesturing for Snape to further emerge from his shadowy dwelling. Begrudgingly, he shifted out from the doorway to stand beside Dumbledore, a ringed hand clasping his shoulder. "Severus is a Death Eater. However, this is only to our advantage. The downfall of Lord Voldemort will be within our fingertips with his aide." A slight shiver went up the spines of a few members at the name that the headmaster had always so freely mentioned.

Severus had pointedly attempted to ignore the angry stares of the Marauders, who still were looking unpleased in Dumbledore's decision to invite along someone who had been none other than a punching bag in school. However, the ancient wizard wasn't one to particularly argue with. His black eyes continued to scan the crowd, to both his relief and dismay, he had not seen who he had been looking for.

The Order's meeting continued to wear on, and a steady stream of witches and wizards proceeded to leave. It was best that they do so gradually, to avoid detection. Peter was first to leave, then Remus. Sirius had stayed with James, who had still seemed worked up over Dumbledore's choice in Double-Agent.

"Lily's waiting for you." Sirius reminded lightly, his eyes briefly following Snape, who was still skulking behind Dumbledore. "I meant it when I said I'd be visiting sometime." He grinned, giving his friend a wink before disapparating.

James lingered, watching the remaining aurors speak quietly to one another, and then Severus and Dumbledore once again. He'd have to find a way to keep Lily from attending the next meeting...he highly doubted she was over being called such a foul, disgusting name. His jaw clenched before finally, he left.

James was quiet, opening and closing the door. Harry was usually taking his afternoon nap at this time; and he had quickly learned that a screaming baby was no fun task to hush up. He found his wife easily, spotting her flaming red hair from over the couch.

Approaching, James leaned over, snaking his arms around her stomach, watching their son sleep in her arms. She responded by pushing her face against his shoulder. "How'd it go?" She murmured to him after pulling away, her green eyes flickering up to his handsome face.

"Fine. I guess." James shrugged, cautiously clambering over the back of the sofa to sit beside her instead. Lily looked unconvinced. "You should have let me go, if you get so bored." She gave a slight eyeroll, reaching up to sift a hand through his messy black hair.

James smiled briefly, though internally he was struggling to decide if he should tell her about their newest member. Snape had been her closest friend at one point in time. That was, until he started playing around with dark magic, and those nasty Slytherin boys. Though, James had never been fond of him much at all.

"Something must have gone wrong." Lily guessed, stating it moreso than asking. Her eyes were still searching her husband's visage, looking for answers. "Were you found?" God, she hated when he attempted to hide things from him. He was an awful liar. Well, to her, anyway; she had a knack of seeing right through him.

James blatantly shook his head. "No, nothing like that. The Order is fine. Well, for now, anyway. Dumbledore's lost his marbles though, with the bloke he gave the double-agent job to. You know-"

"Where someone working under You-Know-Who gives us inside information." Lily finished easily, her green eyes slightly relieved, though still curious. Was it truly that awful, who Dumbledore had chosen? Surely, James knew that the Headmaster wasn't an idiot. He would never allow someone who couldn't be trusted into The Order.

Lily sighed, briefly closing her eyes and resting her head on the back of the couch. "So you're not telling me, I take it?" She peeked at him lazily through a half-closed eyelid as he shook his head.

"I couldn't have married a bigger hot head. You know that?" Lily gave an eyeroll, gingerly passing the napping baby Harry over to his father, before leaning her head on James's shoulder. "I suppose I'll be finding out when it's my turn to go, then." She insisted tiredly. Usually, she would not have been so easily defeated by any means.

However, with James acting so strangely, on top of her exhaustion from tending to Harry for hours straight, she couldn't be bothered to do so. Lily's eyes closed, a soft smile tugging at her lips. Until next meeting, it was.


End file.
